


Gabriel's Cafe

by magequisition



Category: Supernatural
Genre: All Human, Cafe AU, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-07
Updated: 2013-02-07
Packaged: 2017-11-28 13:42:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,454
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/675042
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/magequisition/pseuds/magequisition
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Sam's secretary finds a new take-out vegetarian cafe that makes the most incredible food Sam's ever eaten, he decides to check it out for himself. When he does, he finds more than just dinner.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Gabriel's Cafe

 “Here you go, Sam,” came a bright voice from in front of his desk. Sam looked up from the pile of case notes in front of him.

“Thanks, Jo,” he said to the younger girl. “You're a lifesaver. This case is gonna kill me.” Jo grinned.

“You'll rock it and you know it. You're the best there is. I'll take the lifesaver compliment, though,” she winked. “Enjoy the wrap. I tried a new place today. Seemed like a cool little place and apparently it got some award for vegetarian food.” Sam grinned.

“Sounds perfect. Thanks.” Jo smiled and left Sam's office with a little wave.

“Shout if you need anything,” she called over her shoulder, shutting the door behind her. Sam unwrapped his sandwich slowly as he returned his eyes to the case notes in front of him. He took a bite of his wrap, his eyes shooting from the notes to the food as the flavours spread over his tongue.

“I have gotta ask Jo where this place is,” he muttered.

 

*****

It had been a long day, and Sam breathed a sigh of relief when he finally left the office at six. He was grateful, as well, that when he'd asked Jo where the place - “Gabriel's Cafe” she'd called it – was, she'd also pointed out that it was open until eight. He was too tired to cook and thought he'd stop by and pick up dinner, since his lunch had been so good. The cafe was just around the corner, according to Jo, and Sam was surprised he hadn't seen it before. Sure enough, following Jo's directions, he came across it not five minutes walk from the firm. He pushed the door open and stepped inside, enveloped by warmth that was extremely welcome after the chill of the February evening. The cafe had light green walls and orange light fixtures that should have been an odd combination but somehow worked together. The lighting was slightly dim, but bright enough to see clearly, and there were overstuffed chairs and couches with small tables scattered throughout the room.

“Well hello there,” came a loud voice from behind the long counter, interrupting Sam's intense inspection of the room. Sam's head turned quickly, only then noticing the short, honey-brown haired man behind the counter.

“Oh, hey,” Sam said with a smile as he walked towards the counter, his eyes drifting to the menu board. “I got the chance to try one of your vegetarian wraps for lunch today, and it was so good I had to come back for dinner.” The man's eyes raked over him casually.

“You weren't here earlier,” he said, his voice teasingly accusatory. “No, I'd remember _you,”_ he said appreciatively, wiggling his eyebrows. Sam grinned, blushing slightly.

“Yeah, you're right,” Sam said. “My secretary came in and brought the wrap back or me. I was tied up in paperwork at the office.” The shorter man raised an eyebrow.

“Fancy,” he commented before extending a hand. “I'm Gabriel.” Sam reached out to take the man – Gabriel's – hand and shake it firmly.

“Sam Winchester,” he responded. “Is this...” he trailed off.

“My place?” Gabriel finished. He swept his hand along the expanse of the room. “Sure is.”

“It's great,” Sam said. “And that wrap earlier was possibly the best thing I've ever eaten.” Gabriel beamed and Sam felt a little rush of pleasure (that he tried unsuccessfully to tamp down) at the sight.

“Well, I _am_ fantastic,” Gabriel said with a wink. “So what can I get for you this evening, Sam?” he asked.

“Um. I haven't actually decided yet. I have to admit, I wasn't expecting to see so much on your vegetarian menu. It's a really nice change. Got any particular recommendations?” Gabriel looked thoughtful for a minute.

“How do you feel about spicy food?” he asked. Sam smirked.

“Guess that depends on what my plans are later that evening,” he said, slapping his hand to his mouth immediately after the words left his mouth. “Oh God, I'm so sorry,” he said, grateful for the dim lighting that (he hoped) hid at least some of the excruciatingly dark blush currently flooding his cheeks. Gabriel laughed.

“Got any plans, Samsquatch?” he asked, wiggling his eyebrows.

“No!” Sam said firmly before raising his eyebrows and grimacing slightly. “Samsquatch?” he asked. Gabriel winked.

“Only in the most affectionate way possible, of course. I've got the perfect dish for you. You gonna eat here?” Sam's face fell slightly, inexplicable disappointment filling his chest.

“Nah, I should head home. I'm expecting a call tonight.”

“Girlfriend?” Gabriel asked, trying to sound casual as he moved around behind the counter, gathering a few ingredients and ringing in Sam's order simultaneously. Sam tried not to read too much into his tone as he handed Gabriel his debit card.

“Nah. My older brother. He finally settled down with his boyfriend a few months ago. They run a B&B in Vermont. They had their first full house last weekend and he was going to give me a call tonight. We were really close growing up, so it's a little weird not seeing each other all the time now, you know?” he asked. Gabriel nodded and handed Sam his card back, along with a receipt.

“Makes sense,” he said. No matter how hard he tried, Sam couldn't ignore the note of relief in Gabriel's voice. “I'll have your dinner up in a few minutes. Gotta dash into the kitchen, go on and sit down. Shout if you need anything,” he said before disappearing behind the little half wall that separated the kitchen from the service area. Sam moved over to one of the large chairs that had a line of sight to the kitchen and sat down, trying to keep an inconspicuous eye on the man moving around the kitchen, apparently dancing to some music Sam couldn't hear. He smiled to himself as he watched, occasionally dropping his gaze to look around the cafe again. True to his word, it was only a few minutes later that Gabriel stepped from the kitchen and called out to Sam.

“The best meal you've ever had is up, Sam!” he said. Sam laughed as Gabriel winked at him.

“You're relentless, you know that?” he said as he stepped towards the counter to pick up the plastic bag containing a styrofoam container.

“Only for things I think are worth it,” Gabriel said, a wide grin spreading across his face. Sam tried not to think too hard about what Gabriel might mean by that as he picked up the bag by the handles.

“Well, thanks,” Sam said, hating the way his voice cracked a little. Gabriel smiled warmly at him.

“Maybe I'll see you around soon, kiddo,” he said, his voice taking on a serious tone. Sam smiled in return.

“Yeah, maybe,” he said. _Almost definitely,_ he thought. Without another word, he turned and left the cafe to start the short walk home.

He arrived home twenty minutes later and placed the bag on his kitchen counter. He kicked off his shoes and hung up his jacket carefully before going into the kitchen and pulling out a fork from the drawer. He untied the knot in the handles of the bag and pulled out the container. There was a small piece of paper taped to the bottom that brushed against Sam's hand when he lifted it. He pulled it off carefully and turned it over. There was a phone number scribbled on it followed by a short note.

_Yadda yadda, whatever, this is crazy, call (or text) me maybe? PS-I hate myself for writing that so please make it worth it._

Sam burst out laughing and set the paper on the counter carefully before taking his food into the living room to sit down and eat in front of the TV.

*****

The next day, Jo poked her head into Sam's office. “I'm gonna go grab some lunch. I was thinking about going to that cafe again. Want anything?” she asked.

“Please. I'm uh...busy again. Get me one of those wraps you got me yesterday?” he asked.

“You got it, boss,” Jo said with a wink as she left his office. “Back in a few!” she said through the door. Sam sighed as she left. He wasn't actually that busy, and could have gone to the cafe himself, but he'd chickened out on texting Gabriel the night before. He wasn't sure why, really, since the man was making his interest blatantly obvious; he just had an uneasy feeling. It was almost entirely self-consciousness, he was fairly sure. Gabriel was energetic and dynamic and just this side of crazy. Sam was...well, he was a lawyer, and he knew it. He bordered on the edge of too serious, according to his brother, and his idea of fun was more likely to be sitting on the couch with a movie or a book than going out and being adventurous. He was sure Gabriel would get bored after about twenty minutes of actual time with him and, well...Sam wasn't sure he was willing to let that happen.

But then he'd realised that by not texting back, he might have let Gabriel down. So he didn't want to show his face at the cafe, either. He sighed and dropped his head into his hands just as his cell phone buzzed.

_Hey Sammy. You text that guy you were telling me about?_

Sam sighed. His brother sure knew how to time things. He punched in a quick response.

_Nah. Might later._

He'd barely set the phone down again before it was buzzing.

_Do it, dude. Seriously, you need to get laid. It's been ages._

Sam rolled his eyes. He loved his brother, but he really didn't understand how Cas put up with him sometimes. He set his phone down again, choosing not to respond, but picked it up again a minute later, scrolling to the newest entry in his contacts list. He took a deep breath before hitting the message button and typing out a quick text.

_Hey Gabriel. Sorry I didn't make it in today. I'm swamped at the office and I probably won't be able to get out before you close. Maybe I'll come by tomorrow?_

He sent the message and set his phone down on his desk, turning his eyes back to the case notes. His phone buzzed again much sooner than he'd expected.

_Come by tonight whenever you get out. If it's past eight, text me. I'll make sure I'm downstairs._

Anxiety knotted in Sam's stomach as he tapped out a reply.

_Sure. I'll see you then._

The afternoon and evening passed by much more quickly than Sam remembered, despite his internal pleading with the earth to turn just a little bit slower. When 8:15 hit and he could finally no longer convince himself that he _needed_ to do just a little more work on the case (it was going to court the next day and he knew his argument was rock-solid, he had this one in the bag), he picked up his phone and tapped out a message slowly.

_Still want me to come by?_

He didn't even bother setting it down, and he was glad since Gabriel apparently had some kind of superhuman texting abilities, with a response coming in seconds later.

_Of course._

Sam took a deep breath and typed in one last message.

_I'll be there in ten minutes or less._

He pulled his jacket from the back of his chair and, pulling it over his shoulders, left the office and started the short walk to Gabriel's Cafe.

When he arrived, the lights were still on inside, thought the sign on the door had been flipped to read “Closed”. He saw Gabriel looking through the window as he approached and he gave a small, almost bashful wave. Gabriel waved cheerfully back and practically pranced towards the door to unlock it and open it when Sam got close.

“Hey there, Samsquatch,” he said, allowing the door to close behind Sam and reaching around to lock it.

“Hi, Gabriel,” Sam replied.

“How'd you like the curry?” Gabriel asked casually, motioning for Sam to follow him as he walked towards one of the groupings of chairs.

“It was amazing. What's in it?” Sam asked enthusiastically.

“Ah, well, that's a secret. I tell you that, you can make it yourself and you'll never come back here, and I can't have that,” Gabriel said as he sat down. Sam smiled a little and glanced down at the floor before sitting down himself.

“I don't think you need to worry about that,” Sam said quietly. Gabriel raised an eyebrow.

“Why, Sam! And here was me thinking I'd mortally offended you when you didn't text me last night,” he said. Sam blushed.

“No...sorry about that...” he said quietly. “Just didn't want to bother you.” Gabriel stared at him for a minute.

“Um, hellooo?” he said teasingly. “You forget, Sam, I gave you my number. I think that _might_ be an indicator that you texting me wouldn't have been a bother.” Sam grinned sheepishly.

“I guess so. Sorry.”

“What are you, Canadian?” Gabriel asked with a laugh. “Quit apologising. You texted me eventually.” At that, Sam laughed. “Much better,” Gabriel said. “You should laugh more, Sam.” This time it was Sam's turn to raise an eyebrow.

“Maybe I laugh all the time and you just don't know it,” he said. “We haven't exactly known each other very long.” Gabriel tilted his head thoughtfully.

“True, I suppose. But I don't think you laugh enough. You're, what, 27?” he guessed.

“Yeah.” Sam confirmed.

“27 and a lawyer already. You've spent most of your life buried in books, Sam. Not that there's anything wrong with that, mind you. God knows, intelligence is sexy as hell,” he said, smirking. Sam blushed and looked down at his fidgeting hands for a minute before glancing back up to meet the hazel eyes still staring intently at him. “But you've gotta let yourself enjoy life, too,” Gabriel finished. Sam took a deep breath, letting it out slowly before he spoke.

“Gabriel?” he asked.

“Yeah, kiddo?” Gabriel replied.

“Do you want to get dinner with me?” he asked. Gabriel winked.

“I was hoping you might ask. I've got something made already in the back...if you're interested.” Sam laughed.

“Yeah, I'm interested,” he said.

“Well then, I'll be right back,” Gabriel said, standing up quickly and heading into the kitchen. “Don't run off,” he said over his shoulder.

“Oh, no chance of that...” Sam murmured as he watched Gabriel disappear behind the counter. He wasn't sure what was to come, but he was positive it wouldn't be boring.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Fic prompted by [this](http://24.media.tumblr.com/d9a2684bba98d9144dd191bbaf43c3ec/tumblr_mhviuyaTTn1r4dc5so1_500.jpg), found at my school. I couldn't resist!


End file.
